SAVANNAH, Ga. — After opening the season with five consecutive losses, Savannah State found its groove in its home opener Friday evening, defeating Brewton-Parker Christian 3-1 inside Tiger Arena.
The victory came on an emotional evening as Savannah State hosted the inaugural Karissa Tatum Memorial Match in honor of the former Lady Tiger volleyball student-athlete.
Tatum passed away on Sept. 4, 2019, from injuries sustained in a car accident while evacuating campus for Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 1.
A 21-year-old junior mass communications student at the time of her passing, Tatum had earned her Associate of Arts degree and aspired to become a journalist. In May 2020, Savannah State awarded Tatum's undergraduate degree to her parents in her memory.
The Karissa Tatum Scholarship was later established in her honor to support mass communications students at Savannah State.
With Tatum's family in attendance Friday evening, the Lady Tigers delivered a victory in the match bearing her name.
Savannah State took the opening set 25-21 before Brewton-Parker responded by edging the Lady Tigers 28-26 in the second set.
SSU regained control from there, winning the third set 25-17 before closing out the match with a 25-21 victory in the fourth to improve to 1-5 on the season.
Amiyah Walker led Savannah State with a double-double, recording 35 assists and 12 digs. Walker also contributed five blocks and two service aces.
The victory, however, was a balanced team effort.
Faith Woods finished with 10 kills, six digs, three aces, three blocks and one assist, while Nyalah Smith added nine kills, four digs, two blocks and an ace.
Jasbrielle Veal contributed eight kills, five blocks, two digs and an ace, while Anaya Yates was a force at the net with a match-high 11 blocks to go along with six kills.
Kayden Lawrence added 14 digs, five kills, three blocks and an ace, while Kira Raby recorded a team-high 18 digs along with an ace and an assist. Hope White rounded out the effort with four digs and one kill.
The win also gave Savannah State a measure of redemption against Brewton-Parker after the Lady Tigers opened the 2026 season with a 3-2 road loss to the Barons on Sept. 1.
Savannah State will continue its non-conference schedule on Sept. 15 when the Lady Tigers travel to St. Augustine, Florida, to face Flagler.
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